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JIMMY SMOTHERS: Tide vs. Irish: Memories linger

By Jimmy SmothersTimes Sports Editor Emeritus

Published: Sunday, January 6, 2013 at 6:01 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, January 4, 2013 at 7:35 p.m.

Ronny Robertson was a first-year backup linebacker on the 1973 University of Alabama football team that played Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl. It was the first game between these two legendary giants of college football; it was a game between two unbeaten teams coached by the biggest names in the game at that time — Paul Bryant of Alabama and Ara Parseghian of Notre Dame.

“Yea, Alabama! Drown ‘em Tide!

“Every ‘Bama man’s behind you;

“Hit your stride!”

Alabama (11-0) already had been named national champion by United Press International, in a poll voted on by college coaches, and was ranked No. 1 by the Associated Press going into the game. A win would keep the Crimson Tide at No. 1, making the national title unanimous.

“Cheer, cheer for Old Notre Dame

“Wake up the echoes cheering her name,

“Send the volley cheer on high,

“Shake down the thunder from the sky.”

Notre Dame (10-0), although undefeated, was only ranked fourth in the AP poll going into the game. There was a lot of publicity at the time calling it another “Game of the Century.”

“It was a huge game, the first time Alabama and Notre Dame, two of the most famous teams in the country, played each other,” Robertson said via long distance telephone the other day from his office in Alabama’s athletic complex.

Today Robertson is an associate athletics director (for development) at Alabama, the only player on the ’73 team still employed by the university’s athletic department. This year Alabama (11-1) is ranked No. 2, yet is a touchdown favorite going against No. 1 Notre Dame (11-0) and the “luck of the Irish” in Monday’s BCS championship game.

Robertson will be there, this time watching from some administrators’ suite rather than in uniform down on the field. But his seating location won’t take away his interest in Alabama playing Notre Dame. He played little behind Woodrow Lowe in ’73, was a starter in ’74 and played most of the game vs. Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl.

Now that the teams are booked again, all the memories have returned.

One thing in particular stands out.

“Before the game, Coach Bryant made the same talk he always made, best as I remember,” Robertson said. “But there was one thing. I remember him saying this was a big game and 40 years from now we’d be telling our grandkids about playing in it. Coach Bryant said, ‘It will be a lot easier to talk about it if you win the game than if you lose it.’ I’ll never forget that; it’s proved to be true.

“It was a huge game and now, 40 years later, people are still talking about it. Coach Bryant told us after the game that the best team didn’t win; that we didn’t lose that game, they just won it.”

Robertson said the difference was the “luck of the Irish,” and that this year Notre Dame’s players have been talking about that a lot. They are confident; they are undefeated and ranked No. 1, one win short of the BCS Championship mostly because of the “luck of the Irish.”

“What though the odds be great or small

“Old Notre Dame will win over all

“While her loyal sons are marching

“Onward to Victory.”

“I thought we were going to win the game until right at the end when they made that first down and were able to run the clock out,” Robertson said, recalling what has been called the play of the year. “Their quarterback, Tom Clements, completed a 35-yard third-down pass from his end zone with just a few minutes left in the game.”

I have a picture of that play taken from behind the end zone, looking downfield. It shows Clements, well protected, having just released the ball. You can see Leroy Cook leaping high above everyone else, but he still isn’t able to reach the ball.

That year, the players went home for Christmas in the middle of December and reported back on Dec. 20. Robertson said the next morning, the players were rousted out of bed early, just like in two-a-days, fed a big breakfast and went to practice. They went on the field twice and had meetings in between. They didn’t return to the dorm until supper that night.

There was no time limit on practice and hardly anyone on campus, and Bryant worked the players extremely hard every day for a week in T-Town.

“It was rough,” Robertson remembered, “especially when we’d read in the paper about Notre Dame being in New Orleans, practicing a little during the day and going out having fun at night. That didn’t exactly sit well with us, but it was what Coach Bryant wanted and we didn’t say anything.”

The Tide finally went to New Orleans on Saturday, Dec. 29, worked out at the Sugar Bowl on Sunday and played the game Monday night. There was a banquet for the players on New Year’s night, but Robertson and other Alabama players came home that day.

This year the Tide practiced Dec. 18-22, then broke for Christmas. The players returned Dec. 26 and practiced through Dec. 31 (six practice sessions). They broke again for New Year’s and reported back Wednesday in time to catch the charter plane to Miami. There were light workouts leading up to Monday’s game.

Robertson said in ’73, there wasn’t much talk about winning the national championship, but a lot of talk about beating Notre Dame. Coach Bryant’s goal each week was to win — win every game, and the other things would come.

The players all wanted a championship ring. Alabama was named the UPI national champion Dec. 4, but the AP waited until after the bowl games that year before naming a champion. The players were wondering if they would get rings if they didn’t beat Notre Dame and Alabama didn’t become the undisputed champion.

Coach Bryant never mentioned it. But after the game, he said Alabama has the best team and should have won. Although Alabama wound up fourth in the AP poll, Bryant recognized the UPI title and gave his players championship rings.

Notre Dame, which went into the game ranked No 3 jumped to No. 1; Ohio State (10-0-1) went from fourth to second after winning the Rose Bowl; and Oklahoma (10-0-1), which was on probation and did not play in a bowl that year, dropped from second to third. Alabama (11-1) dropped from No. 1 to No. 4.

In 1973, the Notre Dame tradition still centered around legendary Coach Knute Rockne, pretty much the same as Alabama fans remember Coach Bryant. The Gipper and the Four Horsemen were recalled, as was its fight song, still ranked No. 3 among the all-time best.

“Sing her glory, and sound her fame,

“Rah! Rah! For Notre Dame.”

Hardly any lore from either team beyond the 1973 game is being mentioned this year, as this is being billed as another “greatest game.” Word from the football camps is that the players and coaches are focused on winning the game more than winning a national title. Robertson said about all he’s heard has been to “win, beat Notre Dame.”

“You’re Dixie’s football pride,

“Crimson Tide!”

“There is no need to mention the national championship; they are already aware of that and they know what it will take — win,” said Robertson. “There is no need to add extra pressure.”

About the only thing that could make this game any bigger would be if a couple of guys named Bryant and Parseghian were the coaches.

Jimmy Smothers can be reached at jmmys1@aol.com. His new book, “The Game,” may be purchased at The Gadsden Times’ customer service desk.

<p>Ronny Robertson was a first-year backup linebacker on the 1973 University of Alabama football team that played Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl. It was the first game between these two legendary giants of college football; it was a game between two unbeaten teams coached by the biggest names in the game at that time — Paul Bryant of Alabama and Ara Parseghian of Notre Dame.</p><p>“Yea, Alabama! Drown 'em Tide!</p><p>“Every 'Bama man's behind you;</p><p>“Hit your stride!”</p><p> </p><p>Alabama (11-0) already had been named national champion by United Press International, in a poll voted on by college coaches, and was ranked No. 1 by the Associated Press going into the game. A win would keep the Crimson Tide at No. 1, making the national title unanimous.</p><p> </p><p>“Cheer, cheer for Old Notre Dame</p><p>“Wake up the echoes cheering her name,</p><p>“Send the volley cheer on high,</p><p>“Shake down the thunder from the sky.”</p><p> </p><p>Notre Dame (10-0), although undefeated, was only ranked fourth in the AP poll going into the game. There was a lot of publicity at the time calling it another “Game of the Century.”</p><p>“It was a huge game, the first time Alabama and Notre Dame, two of the most famous teams in the country, played each other,” Robertson said via long distance telephone the other day from his office in Alabama's athletic complex.</p><p>Today Robertson is an associate athletics director (for development) at Alabama, the only player on the '73 team still employed by the university's athletic department. This year Alabama (11-1) is ranked No. 2, yet is a touchdown favorite going against No. 1 Notre Dame (11-0) and the “luck of the Irish” in Monday's BCS championship game.</p><p>Robertson will be there, this time watching from some administrators' suite rather than in uniform down on the field. But his seating location won't take away his interest in Alabama playing Notre Dame. He played little behind Woodrow Lowe in '73, was a starter in '74 and played most of the game vs. Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl.</p><p>Now that the teams are booked again, all the memories have returned.</p><p>One thing in particular stands out.</p><p>“Before the game, Coach Bryant made the same talk he always made, best as I remember,” Robertson said. “But there was one thing. I remember him saying this was a big game and 40 years from now we'd be telling our grandkids about playing in it. Coach Bryant said, 'It will be a lot easier to talk about it if you win the game than if you lose it.' I'll never forget that; it's proved to be true.</p><p>“It was a huge game and now, 40 years later, people are still talking about it. Coach Bryant told us after the game that the best team didn't win; that we didn't lose that game, they just won it.”</p><p>Robertson said the difference was the “luck of the Irish,” and that this year Notre Dame's players have been talking about that a lot. They are confident; they are undefeated and ranked No. 1, one win short of the BCS Championship mostly because of the “luck of the Irish.”</p><p> </p><p>“What though the odds be great or small</p><p>“Old Notre Dame will win over all</p><p>“While her loyal sons are marching</p><p>“Onward to Victory.”</p><p> </p><p>“I thought we were going to win the game until right at the end when they made that first down and were able to run the clock out,” Robertson said, recalling what has been called the play of the year. “Their quarterback, Tom Clements, completed a 35-yard third-down pass from his end zone with just a few minutes left in the game.”</p><p>I have a picture of that play taken from behind the end zone, looking downfield. It shows Clements, well protected, having just released the ball. You can see Leroy Cook leaping high above everyone else, but he still isn't able to reach the ball.</p><p>That year, the players went home for Christmas in the middle of December and reported back on Dec. 20. Robertson said the next morning, the players were rousted out of bed early, just like in two-a-days, fed a big breakfast and went to practice. They went on the field twice and had meetings in between. They didn't return to the dorm until supper that night.</p><p>There was no time limit on practice and hardly anyone on campus, and Bryant worked the players extremely hard every day for a week in T-Town.</p><p>“It was rough,” Robertson remembered, “especially when we'd read in the paper about Notre Dame being in New Orleans, practicing a little during the day and going out having fun at night. That didn't exactly sit well with us, but it was what Coach Bryant wanted and we didn't say anything.”</p><p>The Tide finally went to New Orleans on Saturday, Dec. 29, worked out at the Sugar Bowl on Sunday and played the game Monday night. There was a banquet for the players on New Year's night, but Robertson and other Alabama players came home that day.</p><p>This year the Tide practiced Dec. 18-22, then broke for Christmas. The players returned Dec. 26 and practiced through Dec. 31 (six practice sessions). They broke again for New Year's and reported back Wednesday in time to catch the charter plane to Miami. There were light workouts leading up to Monday's game.</p><p>Robertson said in '73, there wasn't much talk about winning the national championship, but a lot of talk about beating Notre Dame. Coach Bryant's goal each week was to win — win every game, and the other things would come.</p><p>The players all wanted a championship ring. Alabama was named the UPI national champion Dec. 4, but the AP waited until after the bowl games that year before naming a champion. The players were wondering if they would get rings if they didn't beat Notre Dame and Alabama didn't become the undisputed champion.</p><p>Coach Bryant never mentioned it. But after the game, he said Alabama has the best team and should have won. Although Alabama wound up fourth in the AP poll, Bryant recognized the UPI title and gave his players championship rings.</p><p>Notre Dame, which went into the game ranked No 3 jumped to No. 1; Ohio State (10-0-1) went from fourth to second after winning the Rose Bowl; and Oklahoma (10-0-1), which was on probation and did not play in a bowl that year, dropped from second to third. Alabama (11-1) dropped from No. 1 to No. 4.</p><p>In 1973, the Notre Dame tradition still centered around legendary Coach Knute Rockne, pretty much the same as Alabama fans remember Coach Bryant. The Gipper and the Four Horsemen were recalled, as was its fight song, still ranked No. 3 among the all-time best.</p><p> </p><p>“Sing her glory, and sound her fame,</p><p>“Rah! Rah! For Notre Dame.”</p><p> </p><p>Hardly any lore from either team beyond the 1973 game is being mentioned this year, as this is being billed as another “greatest game.” Word from the football camps is that the players and coaches are focused on winning the game more than winning a national title. Robertson said about all he's heard has been to “win, beat Notre Dame.”</p><p> </p><p>“You're Dixie's football pride,</p><p>“Crimson Tide!”</p><p> </p><p>“There is no need to mention the national championship; they are already aware of that and they know what it will take — win,” said Robertson. “There is no need to add extra pressure.”</p><p>About the only thing that could make this game any bigger would be if a couple of guys named Bryant and Parseghian were the coaches.</p>
<p class="italic font120">Jimmy Smothers can be reached at jmmys1@aol.com. His new book, “The Game,” may be purchased at The Gadsden Times' customer service desk.</p>